And I'll Carry You Home, Tonight
by Dream Out Reality
Summary: The gang are beginning their senior year, but not as the friends they once were. None of them expect that to change, but they'll discover who their real friends are when life tests them.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, just a short little introduction that revolves around Lil, but the rest of the gang will fall into the story more later. Let me know what you think?**

Lillian DeVille studies reflection carefully. Her hazel eyes are squinting back at her as she stands, hands on hips, looking for any imperfections in her appearance. Her hair's perfectly straight, flowing down her back like a glossy curtain and shaped around her made up face in the style she and Angelica had admired in a magazine over the summer. Her fingers pinch at her hips, wondering if they seem swollen beneath the folds of her cheerleading skirt. She inclines her head, scrutinising before sighing heavily. Angelica was definitely a thinner when she was Head Cheerleader the two years ago.

There's a thump at the bathroom door, which causes her to jump, "Come on, _Lillian_!" Her brother, Phil, calls through the door loudly.

Lily, as she's now known, although she doesn't know why, sighs and snatches her gaze away from the mirror. She clicks the door open and scowls at her brother. He's a dumb jock who only cares about football; their mother's so proud of him. Lily being Cheer Captain isn't nearly as important. Phil barges past her and slams the door behind him for good measure. Down the hall Lily hears her Dad lamely attempt to tell them to keep it down.

She takes the stairs two at a time, still fascinated by the way her fan-tailed skirt flays with every step. She doesn't always feel like a hot cheer captain, but she knows she at least looks the part. Girls look at her enviously in the hallways and boys leer about her locker with lusty teenage eyes grazing over her cleavage.

In the kitchen she pours a glass of water and snaps on the radio. Her eyes catch on an old photograph, pushed into an alcove on the shelf. Almost nervously she reaches out and takes the fragile feeling picture between her thumb and finger.

It was only three years ago that the image was taken; on the first day of freshman year, yet she hardly recognises herself. She's wearing baggy jeans and an old jumper that's frayed at the cuffs because she used to chew it. Her hair's wild and wavy and she's grinning like mad. Her arm's around Phil's shoulder and she honestly can't remember the last time they showed any kind of affection towards one another. Around them, in a tight huddle are the rest of the gang. The _Rugrats_, as their parents used to call them, due to the fact that they were together since infanthood. Together since infants, and now they barely manage to exchange smiles.

She can see in the picture that her hand's grasped around Kimi's and they're wearing matching friendship bracelets. She doesn't even speak to Kimi now. Kimi's going through a whole 'dark and mysterious' phase or something. Lily doesn't know, she doesn't get it. All she knows is Kimi's always around the art department wearing too much eye make up and tapping her feet to music that no one else enjoys.

Over Kimi's shoulder in the photo Chuckie's grinning madly, his glasses reflecting the sun in the lenses. He graduated last year and Lily doesn't even know if he's going to college, she assumes he must be because he was a nerd and well, they all go to college, she thinks.

Next to Chuck, Tommy's smiling broadly, almost laughing even. It's a world away from the boy Lily now sees in the corridors in beaten converse, a black leather jacket and shades. She heard he even got a motorcycle over the summer.

On Tommy's right is his little brother Dylan, who's about to become a junior. He's probably the only one in the photograph who hasn't changed a bit; he still wears weird clothes and is into anything that no one else can be bothered to think about. Her friends gave up teasing him about it last year because he doesn't care what any of them think. Lily's considering how that must be when Phil ambles into the kitchen, his hair gelled in the latest fashion and his letterman jacket over his broad shoulders.

Quickly she pushes the photo into her purse and brushes her hair over her shoulder. Phil ignores her completely and puts a couple of PopTarts into the toaster. Lily wrinkles her nose and he takes the opportunity to throw one in her direction just to annoy her.

Lily's about to retaliate when their mother strides in through the back door. She wipes her brow with the sweatband around her wrist and smirks at her son, "Hey, Champ, first day as Captain, it's a big day, DeVille."

She claps her hand on his shoulder and he gives her a lop-sided grin in response. Lily rolls her eyes and strides towards the front door, "I'm getting a ride!"

She doesn't know if anyone hears her.

Out on the kerb she folds her arms over her chest and taps her foot impatiently. Luckily, the familiar VW Beetle rounds the corner a couple of moments later. It pulls up on the sidewalk at alarming speed and the brakes squeak painfully.

"Hey, Bitch," Angelica pulls her sunglasses on top of her blonde hair and winks, "Nice outfit."

Lily doesn't smile, she just falls into the passenger seat and Angelica pulls away before she has the chance to fasten her seatbelt. She doesn't know exactly when it was that she and Angelica became friends, sometime in high school, she knows, but she can't recall quite when everything changed. At some point through it _all_ changed. Lily fell in with the popular crowd, of which Angelica was Queen Bee, and now that she's graduated, Lily's taking the crown.

"I got you breakfast," Angelica jerks her thumb over her shoulder, indicating to the backseat.

Lily smirks and reaches for the Styrofoam cup and inhales the scent of coffee. It's a forbidden luxury in her house, thanks to her mother's obsession with health and fitness. "Mmmm, that's _so _good."

Angelica cackles, "You are such a deprived coffee whore. I taught you well. So, DeVille, talk boys to me, I need gossip."

Lily squirms in her seat but Angelica doesn't notice. "I guess I'll have to see who's going to fight hardest to get with me." Lily manages to say in an even tone.

"That's my girl." Angelica grins, "But for the love of God, Lily, make sure you get _some_!"

"I will." Lily whispers. She knows that she can't hold out for another year without having a boyfriend, she must be the only Senior who's _not_ had a boyfriend.

Angelica nods, appeased, "Good. You're too hot to be single."

Lily isn't sure that she agrees, but she knows better than to argue with Angelica Pickles, she learnt that a long time ago.

Angelica pulls into the parking lot and smiles wistfully at the old brick building she once used to rule, "Go and enjoy your kingdom, DeVille. You'll miss it next year, you know."

Again, Lily isn't sure but maybe Angelica's right. After all, the blonde is now stuck working at the mall for little money. Lily smiles at Angelica and waves before flouncing out of the car, her head held high. It's all about image from this moment on; she's head cheerleader and she has a reputation to uphold.

She crosses the lot and grazes her eyes over a group sat on the quad. She recognises the boy with head of messy purple hair and a cigarette hung between his soft lips. Lily curls her lip as a natural habit and averts her eyes. She can't let herself look into Tommy Pickles' eyes because they always make her feel bad, guilty for being the girl she's become. She doesn't understand why, that out of everyone it's Tommy who has that power, but he does.

Her attention's quickly stolen away by two of her fellow cheerleaders, looping their arms through hers and swiftly her persona of fearsome mean girl returns like a second skin.

Tommy Pickles falls to the back of her mind, for the time being at least.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the delay! Especially to Finsterboy97 for saying this would be done yesterday! It's only short but I had some problems...**

Lily falls into her seat at the back of the classroom and sits with her legs spilling into the aisle. It's something all of the cheerleaders do. She pulls out her compact mirror and stares into it, examining her reflection carefully.

"Psst!" She flicks her gaze from the mirror to the seat just to the right of her where Damien Chance sits. He's only about the hottest guy in school. Some would argue that Phil gets that title, but of course Lily would disagree. Damien plays football too but he's more reserved than Phil; quieter and cooler. He's broader too across the shoulders and his hair is all soft and floppy.

Lily smiles softly up at him and inclines her head. She's no stranger to flirting; Angelica taught her _everything_. She hasn't actually got any further than second base with a boy but that's all about to change. As head cheerleader she has a reputation that precedes her, she needs to live up to it now. Casually, she hopes, she twirls her hair around her fingers and licks her glossed lips.

Damien grins broadly, revealing a row of perfectly straight white teeth, "Congrats on getting Captain, it suits you."

She feels herself flush slightly as her smile widens, "Thanks, I kind of like it so far."

"I'll bet." He leans back in his seat and reaches his arm out so that his fingertips graze against her bare leg, "It's got to be tough, being the hottest girl in school."

Lily's breath hitches in her throat at his rough touch, it excites her and terrifies her all at once. "It's, um,"

"So there's a party tonight at Tyler's place to start the year off with a bang and a load of alcohol…everyone's gonna be there." Damien tells her in a lazy tone, "It would be great to see you out of school, out of that uniform."

She bites down on her lower lip and considers the look in his eyes, she knows what it means. He wants _her_. And he's brilliant boyfriend material and he's showing an interest in her. But she doesn't really know him at all and she's never been with a boy properly before.

"I'll pick you up at eight." He says, he doesn't ask.

Lily just smiles though. She wants to scream and laugh and dance. Damien Chance is taking her out. To a party. On a school night. With Alcohol.

The bell rings for the end of homeroom and Lily scoops her bag up quickly, hoping to catch a couple of her friends between classes to tell them her news. She flounces out of the room, feeling Damien's eyes on her and a warm feeling in her chest.

As she slips out of the classroom a body collides with her, sending her bag skidding across the floor along with pages of artwork that drop from the other person's hand. She narrows her eyes at Kimi Finster as the darker haired girl rushes to her hands and knees to begin gathering her belongings. One of the lower class freshmen already has Lily's bag in her outstretched hand.

"Sorry," Kimi smiles widely as though it's great that they crashed into one another. "Didn't see you, it's all this sketching I've been doing over the summer! You look, um, nice."

Lily feels her face flushing with heat as Kimi chatters on as though they know each other or something. They don't. Kimi Finster doesn't know anything about her. Not anymore. She sets her bag onto her shoulder and blows her bangs out of her face, "Shut up, Freak."

Her friends laugh and she feels calmer instantly. When she glances back at Kimi quickly though, her stomach sinks. Her former friend is still crouched on the floor, blinking up at her disbelievingly and Lily can tell that she's hurt her feelings. She doesn't care though, she can't care. She can't. Because that can mean her losing it all. So she turns on her heel and leaves.

Kimi shakes her head and thrashes her artwork into the large zip file under her arm. As she pushes the papers together, she notices the corner of a photograph peeking free. She frowns and pulls it loose, a gasp catching in her throat. As she stares, transfixed, she feels an arm haul her to her feet.

"This some kind of edgy art thing?" Tommy laughs, referring to her being sat in the middle of the crowded corridor as he leans up against the row of lockers.

Kimi shakes her head, "I had a run in with the Princess."

Instantly Tommy turns his head to check if she's still in the vicinity but she's vanished. Kimi slaps him in the chest teasingly and shakes a picture in front of his eyes. He frowns and picks it from her hand. Kimi watches as the smile of recognition grows over his features. "Hey, I remember this!"

He studies the photograph and slowly his smile fades.

"I thought we'd be friends forever, you know?" He whispers. Tommy's a cool kid, one of the coolest, Kimi thinks, but he's never been afraid of saying how he feels and she likes him all the more for it.

"Yeah." Kimi looks at him with her deep eyes, "Me too, Tommy."

He passes the picture back, his brow pinching with confusion, "Why are you carrying that around anyway?"

"I'm not." Kimi's eyes sparkle a little, "It fell from Lil's bag."

Tommy raises his eyebrows, "And you say she's heartless."

Kimi cackles, "I don't know what she is but I sure as hell know doesn't care about us, Tommy. She's too busy being popular and beautiful and sleeping with the football team."

"Don't." Tommy chastises, "She's…she's just trying to fit in. She's not like us; she doesn't know who she is."

"And that's my fault is it?" Kimi pushes back as they stroll towards their next class at a leisurely pace. "I don't care that she's a cheerleader, I care that she's become a horrible person."

"She's not." Tommy whispers, "She's, well, she's Lil, isn't she?"

Kimi rolls her eyes, "Right. Translation; you love her."


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you to everyone reading! And a special thank you to each of you who reviewed, I really appreciate it and I love hearing what you think :) Hope you enjoy!_

_..._

Tommy gazes dreamily out of the window, across the sport's field towards the open road. He wishes he was there, rather than in Geometry class. He spent his summer persuading his dad to persuade his mom that he was mature enough for a motorbike and somehow it worked. Following the purchase, he spent every available moment out on the road relishing the freedom. He misses that feeling now.

"Hey, Pickles!" A voice sneers from across the room.

Tommy sighs and turns his head slightly towards the group of jocks who are sat at the back of the room. They're all laughing, notably except for Phil DeVille who's scowling madly at him. Tommy swallows and frowns back.

"See something you like?" One of the boys, Damien chortles and jerks his thumb to the out field where a class of senior girls are running drill exercises.

"Shut up." Phil growls and slugs Damien on the arm.

Damien scowls back at him and throws his arms out, "Dude! Chill out, he's not looking at your sister. Look at him, he's a greaser! Plus he's got that weirdo girlfriend…Kitty Finster."

"Kimi." Phil corrects in a low tone and then shakes his head, "Never mind."

Tommy watches as the football players' attention span fails them and they move onto other prey. Phil though keeps snatching glances at Tommy and it makes him wonder if Phil knows he and Kimi aren't actually dating; they're just friends. He wonders if Phil would care at all either way. He wonders what Phil would think, what he'd _do_, if he knew that Tommy really does stare after Lil at any opportunity.

He doesn't think that the twins particularly talk to one another or like each other much anymore and to Tommy, that's even sadder than the fact that _he_ doesn't speak to either of them. Phil and Lil were a partnership; a pair. They seemed, despite all the bickering, to be halves of a whole, now they just seem broken. He rarely sees them smile, at least not properly. They hide it well, playing the game of popularity, but Tommy knows them better than that.

Tommy turns away from Phil and back out of the window. This time though he's not looking at the road, he's looking at the girls. One girl. Not much manages to distract him away from dreams of escaping, but she does. Beautiful, mysterious, lost Lil. He could daydream about her all day.

…

Out on the field, Lily runs, pushing on harder and faster as she leads the group of girls around the field. She's the captain of the cheerleaders, so she's expected to maintain to a good level of fitness, but she knows that her athleticism surpasses everyone's expectations. She's easily the fastest girl in the senior class, and therefore, probably the quickest in the school, thanks to her Mom. The gym coach is constantly asking her to run track but her cheerleading coach refuses to let her in case she gets injured. She likes running, it clears her head. But it's uncool for girls to run track, not that Lily knows why. She wonders who determines the 'cool scale'. What makes cheerleading more reputable than athletic achievement? Why is having a boyfriend more important than anything else when you're in high school? What makes her popular and Kimi a loser?

She doesn't know the answers to the questions. She probably doesn't want to know. It would make her feel ashamed, most likely. Even more than she does so now. Lily shakes the thoughts from her head as she crosses the line and jogs to a stop, panting heavily. The coach is beside her in a second with a water bottle extended in her hand.

"DeVille, that was your quickest yet." Coach Morris shakes her head, "You planning on going to college?"

Lily almost snorts, she doesn't know. Of course her Mom's breathing down her and Phil's necks about colleges. Mostly Betty's looked up the best schools for football in the country, for her beloved captain, but to her credit, she's also left prospectuses on Lily's bed too. If there's one thing Betty DeVille is all for, it's gender equality. If her son's going to college, so is her daughter.

"Yes, probably." Lily answers the coach. They've got some time to talk, her lead was so large.

"Athletic merits would look great on your transcripts." Morris says, none too subtly.

Lily chews on her lip. She wonders whether her Mom would be proud of her if she was State Track Champion. But then she wonders what her friends would say. In the back of her mind she hears Angelica's voice telling her that she's _Cheer Captain_ and that's a title that means she more or less runs the school and can do whatever she likes. Lily's not sure though.

She smiles tightly, "I'll check my schedules."

The coach grins and turns her attention to the girls that are lagging. Lily knows she enjoys goading the slow runners almost as much as she enjoys winning. Lily rolls her eyes and retreats to the changing room.

She's joined quickly by her fellow cheerleaders and then the slower stragglers, red cheeked and gasping. Lily changes speedily and sits on the bench, stretching her legs out in an action that's become habit by now.

Her squad are restless, she thinks, they must be because they're extra catty today. It's probably due to the fact that they've had the whole summer without their regular prey to pick on. Lily wonders where the less popular members of the student body spend their summer. She doesn't recall seeing them at the mall or at the beach or the bowling alley…or anywhere really. No wonder her girls are itching to laugh at someone; they've only had each other to gossip about all summer.

As a few of the girls walk in, the cheerleaders throw jibes at them, masked by weak bouts of coughing.

"_Beak nose._"

"_Elephant._"

"_Beetroot._"

"_Thunder Thighs._"

Lily pinches the bridge of her nose and throws her head back. She doesn't know why her mind's working so hard today but she could do well without. It makes her crave the party where she can have a drink, dance a little and just _forget_.

"Oh my God!" One of the cheerleaders exclaims through a choking laugh. "It's the vampire!"

Lily lifts her head out of interest, knowing that they're talking about Kimi. The girls around her all cackle as they touch up their make-up.

"Hey, Finster!" Lorraine Lucas calls, "You coming to Damien's party tonight?"

Kimi ignores her, as expected.

"Oh wait," Lorraine sneers a grin, "No losers allowed; you'd probably drink our blood though, right?"

The girls laugh again and turn to Lily. She's their ringleader, even though she's sure she doesn't instigate these attacks. They need her approval though.

She sighs but feels her reputation on her shoulders, "She's probably not allowed out if it's a full moon; she'll take on her true form. We'd die from the shock of how hideous she looks."

Lily turns away but not quick enough to miss the hurt across Kimi's features. Lily feels shame cover her features. Kimi was her friend, she grew up around her, she knows her _parents_ for goodness sake!

She's sure this feeling is worse than it would be if she joined the track team.

…

Kimi thrashes her tray down at the lunch table, causing Tommy and Dil to look up with surprise. Usually Kimi's placid and carefree.

"Angry vibe, Kim." Dil notes and then dips his fry into the strawberry sauce of his dessert.

Kimi and Tommy are so used to Dil's habits by now that they don't even react.

"So would you be if the whole locker room had laughed at you and called you a murderous vampire." Kimi grumbles and then wonders why she let the cheerleaders get under her skin.

Dil arches his brow, "Are you kidding? That's mad-cool. You know what would be better? If you really _were_ a vampire and you killed them all! Cheerleader apocalypse!"

The two seniors watch as Dil's eyes go wide and he pulls his notebook from his rucksack and begins scribbling furiously. They know they've lost him completely when he starts muttering under his breath about zombies, limbs and cheerleader victims.

Tommy turns to Kimi sympathetically, "It was Lil, right?"

Kimi stabs her chicken with her fork and rolls her eyes, "Yes, it was the _Princess_. So you can quit daydreaming about why she was carrying that photo around with her. It certainly wasn't sentiment."

"Vampires are kind of cool right now." Tommy points out lazily. He knows it's not that Kimi was called a vampire; it's the fact that Lil said it.

Kimi laughs, "Not in this high school hierarchy. God, I can't wait for the day she falls from that pedestal."

"You don't mean that." Tommy chastises.

"I do, Tommy." Kimi blinks away the ridiculous tears in her eyes, "I really, really do."


	4. Chapter 4

Phil swings his car onto the driveway and cuts the engine. He's home late, thanks to the coach running extra drills because some of the guys got sloppy over the summer. He wasn't one of them.

He enters the house and quickly realises that the place has been taken over by girls. Like always. He swears that Lil doesn't travel anywhere alone anymore. For some reason, that he doesn't like to admit, he hates it. Maybe it's because they used to be so close that they were always together or maybe he just doesn't like the way Lil is around those other girls. He's not sure, but he knows he has no right to say so; he's kind of the same way.

High school changed them without any of them really realising it. For him it wasn't that complicated, he's just into sports. That came with a letterman jacket and invitations to the coolest parties. It was a natural kind of slip away from his old friends. They had different interests. Simple. Tommy was always looking for some kind of escapism and Kimi had a touch of the eccentrics even when she was still in diapers. He gets why they're the people they are now. Likewise Chuckie was studious and Dil was always going to stand out from the crowd; their directions were no surprise. But Lil's? That was a shock.

She was as athletic as him so he'd assumed that she'd join a couple of teams and probably float between cliques. But she didn't. She started hanging around with Angelica and then she became a cheerleader. That was the beginning of the end really.

It's his fault, he knows. He shouted at her the day she came home in that stupid fanned skirt and a face full of make-up. That wasn't Lil, it wasn't his sister. And he told her so.

They haven't spoken properly since. He doesn't know what they would talk about. From what he can tell, all the cheerleaders gossip about is make-up, clothes and…boys. He's sure as hell not going to talk to Lil about any of that.

Phil throws his keys down on the kitchen counter and groans at the sound of giggles from upstairs. He doesn't hate girls or anything, in fact he kind of likes them…he is a teenage boy after all. But when they're in posses, they're kind of insufferable.

He pours a cup of soda and heads upstairs to take a shower. There's a big party happening tonight and he said he'd get over to Tyler's place early to help move some furniture about. He's late as it is.

When he reaches the landing one of Lil's friends, Megan, is stood outside Lil's door curling her dark hair around her finger. She grins when she sees him, "Phil! Hey!"

She sounds surprised, as though she didn't expect to see him there; in his own house. She's cute though and so he doesn't roll his eyes at her acting like a complete idiot. "Hi," He combs his fingers through his hair and smirks.

"You going to the party?" Megan asks, biting down on her lip and looking up at him through her thick lashes.

"Yep, I'll see you there?" Phil puts his hand on the bathroom door, aware that time's pushing on.

"Oh," She sighs a little, "I would, but I don't have a ride."

Phil frowns, confused. There's at least four girls in Lil's bedroom, he assumes at least one of them could be designated driver. "Aren't you going with Lil?"

Megan grins widely and then laughs a little, "No, silly, she's going with Damien! We're just helping her to get ready."

Phil's expression darkens. Wasn't he in class earlier with that clown? That same clown who was telling him to chill out about Tommy looking at Lil? And all along it was Damien who was looking Lil's way. "Hold up, Damien? Damien Chance?"

"Sure." Megan laughs again, "So I can go with you?"

"What?" Phil shakes his head. If Lil's going with one of his friends, he doesn't see why he can't take one of her's. "Yeah, okay."

He disappears into the bathroom and turns the water on as hot as it will go with the hope that it'll steam the place out. He's been to his share of parties, Lil has too, but thankfully, he rarely sees her with guys. Of course he's seen her in crowds chatting and having a laugh but never alone, with one guy. In fact, he can't really recall her going out on a date. He doesn't know what he thinks about the fact that tonight she will be on a date. And with Chance, no less.

He's sure he doesn't like it.

…

Kimi pulls open the drawer beside the oven and sifts through the takeout menus. Her Mom and Chas are in Paris on some kind of anniversary break so she and Chuck have been left to fend for themselves. That means ordering out.

With her favourite menu in hand, she pads in her slippers to the door to the basement and thumps on it a few times, "Chuck! I'm ordering dinner!"

A few moments later she hears the music cut out and his footsteps on the stairs.

He pulls open the door and laughs when he sees the Thai menu in her hand, "The usual then?"

She shrugs, "Why break tradition?"

He doesn't mind, he takes the flyer and circles his choices before handing it back to her. There's still a lingering shyness about him and that means he doesn't even like calling for food. Luckily Kimi has never been shy at all. She calls through the order and chats a little to the guy at the Thai place. Chuck just laughs.

They pour drinks and get the cutlery ready. In their house they always eat dinner together. It's about the only time that the whole family are all together and both Kimi and Chuck like the fact, so they uphold the habit even when their parents are away. That doesn't mean they sit up at the table though. Instead they slouch in front of the TV and watch a trashy show whilst casually trading stories about their days.

The food arrives and Chuck finds a show on a music channel with some bands doing acoustic sets, it's a nice backdrop for their meal.

"I love this band." Chuckie nods in time to the beat as he chews, "I tried to some of their stuff out today actually,"

Chuck's trying at being a musician. It's not exactly what Chas and Kira want him to do; they'd prefer him to go to college and further his education first but mostly they want him to be happy. He's good, really good in fact; he just needs some confidence behind him. Kimi can see him as a session musician in a couple of years.

"They're pretty cool." Kimi comments her approval.

Chuckie raises his eyebrows, usually Kimi's more of a conversationalist. "How's senior year treating you?"

She laughs a little; it's only been one day. Although if the year continues the way that it's started, it's going to royally suck. "It was…how I should have expected it."

"Which means it's not how you would have liked it." Chuck translates easily. "What happened?"

"The usual." Kimi shrugs, "Cheerleaders making jibes, Jocks being idiots…you know?"

"Yeah, I do." Chuck assures and she knows he does.

Kimi pushes her food around her plate, "It's the stupidest thing but, I just kind of wished that maybe with Phil and Lil being sports captains this year they'd, I don't know…go a bit softer on us? It's dumb. We're not friends anymore; I just thought we meant something to each other."

Chuck sighs heavily, it saddens him too. Although he's a year older than the rest of the group and two years older than Dil, he still hangs out with the Pickles like Kimi does. Phil and Lil though, he hasn't spoken to in years. "I like to think that it meant something; our friendship. But they like different things; they've got other friends now. High school does that."

She rolls her eyes, "You sound like Tommy."

"Maybe we're right?" Chuck shoots back and Kimi considers his point.

…

Phil groans at the sound of the doorbell being pressed persistently. He wrenches open the bathroom door and pads down the stairs with only a towel around his waist. When he answers the door, he rolls his eyes.

Angelica brushes past him with her eyebrows arched. She doesn't comment or say anything flirtatious because they're almost related but she can't deny that he's hot.

Phil grinds his teeth and yells to his sister as he stomps upstairs, "_Lillian_!"

When he reaches his bedroom door, Lil's flies open and she smiles at the sight of Angelica and her arm laden with dresses.

Angelica swans into Lil's room and hangs the dresses on the curtain rail. All the girls coo at the new season garments that Angelica's brought straight from the warehouse at the store she works for. Lil exhales through her nose, she feels better now that Angelica's there.

"Lily! I've swiped all of these so _please_ be careful! I can re-tag them but I don't want to have to dry clean them too." Angelica says in her usual bossy tone. She indicates to the smallest dress which is black and incredibly short, "This is my favourite so you should definitely wear it."

The other girls agree, mostly because Angelica's opinion is never disputed. Lily doesn't mind though, Angelica must know what she's doing; she's been with lots of boys. She allows the other girls to dress her, to do her hair and fix her make-up. She's lost in her own thoughts.

She's never been with a boy and she's nervous. She doesn't know how to act or what to say and do. She's seen it happen to other people but being a spectator and a player are completely different things.

"What time's he picking you up?" Angelica asks as she sprays perfume onto Lily's neck.

"Eight." Lily manages in a strangled kind of voice.

Angelica narrows her eyes and flicks her gaze between Lily and the other girls. "Okay, I can finish up here. Girls, you should go and get ready."

As usual no one argues with Angelica and quickly they make themselves scarce. Lily feels herself relax a little when they leave.

Angelica combs her fingers through Lily's hair and smiles softly, "I know you're scared, Lily."

"I-I'm not." Lily lies.

"You are." Angelica says dismissively and she's right, of course. "My first time was a _disaster_."

Lily likes that Angelica isn't laughing at her.

"It was at a party," She cackles and rolls her eyes, "Isn't it always? I was only fourteen, no clue what I was doing. He was seventeen and tasted like a keg."

Angelica shivers and Lily smiles tightly back at her.

"That is top secret, by the way." Angelica warns, "I tell everyone else my first time was _romantic_…Billy Swift at his parents beach house. If only."

That's the story Lily heard too. They watched an old black and white movie and then he took her upstairs where there were candles and nice music. It was all kinds of sweet and every girl in school heard about it.

"Lil," Angelica leans down so that they're eye to eye in the mirror. Lily stares into Angelica's big blue eyes trying to recall the last time that someone called her Lil. She can't remember. "Listen, everyone makes such a big deal of first times but, well, there's always a second time, a third time…you'll be fine."

"Thanks, Angelica." Lily whispers and she really means it.

...

_Thank you again to everyone who read the last chapter. And especially to strawberry-sunset194, acosta perez jose ramiro, PLUR, Eyenertia and Finsterboy97 for reviewing. Your words were so nice! PLUR, I hope you liked the little insight into Phil, don't worry, I love him too :)_


	5. Chapter 5

_I'm so sorry to have kept you all waiting, things just got a bit crazy!  
Then I got the most incredible PM from someone reminding me that I should get on and write this story so it really is down to that inrigued reader that this update is here. Thank you again. _

_I have to warn you though that the story takes a much darker turn in this chapter and maybe this isn't for young readers. There's nothing graphic but I wanted to warn everyone. I hope it's okay._

…

"Hey, you ready to go?" Megan narrows her eyes at Phil who's sat stock still in the driver's seat. When he doesn't reply, she strokes her fingertips over his hand, causing him to jump slightly. "Phil?"

"Huh?" He frowns and then shakes his head shifting the vehicle into gear. "You look great, Babe."

Megan folds her arms over her chest and pouts. He didn't even look her way when he said she looked good, his eyes keep glancing up and down the street and then up at Lily's bedroom window. He's hardly looked her way.

Phil swings out of the driveway and then hits the brakes hard when he spies a car turning into the road. Megan lurches against her seatbelt and hisses a curse but again he barely notices. Phil's gaze is settled on the rear view mirror, he rolls his eyes when the car nears and he realises it's only his Mom.

He waits for her to pull up beside him and lean down to ask him where he's going.

"Hey Champ!" Betty grins, her arm rested on the on the sill of the open window. "Where are you headed?"

Phil swallows and shrugs, "To Tyler's, he's having a bonding session for the teams."

Betty bursts into laughter and winks, "Initiation ceremonies? I got it, Kid."

He can only be thankful that his mother is so blindingly sports driven that she can't see what's really happening. "Yeah…it could be a late one; we've got to toughen the new kids up."

"Too right." Betty nods in agreement. "I'll still see you for training in the morning. You're the example now, Captain."

Phil presses a tight smile to his face and waves to his Mom before racing away. Beside him Megan tuts loudly but he ignores her; she invited herself into getting a ride with him, he's not in the mood to play host. All he wants to do is get drunk.

…

Lily stares at her reflection, as she often does, but for once she's not scrutinising. She looks hot, she _knows _she does, thanks to Angelica. Her hair's half pinned up and held in place by a sparkling silver clip, the rest sweeping around her shoulders softly lying over her bare skin. The dress is impossibly tiny but she kind of likes the way it looks; she feels more like a woman than a girl for the first time ever. It's strapless and fitted with panelling that pulls her in at all the right places. It's short too, really short. Lily's cheeks glow pink when she internally compliments the way that he legs look. It's one thing she can thank her mother for; all those years of sports have done great things for her calf muscles.

Angelica thrusts a pair of towering nude heels into her hands and Lily pushes her feet into them then ties them around the ankle. When she's leant over Angelica slaps her butt and laughs.

"Lily, you're my masterpiece." Angelica smiles, dropping down onto the bed, a silent sigh over her face. "God, you have no idea how much I miss High School parties."

Lil turns and frowns back at her, "Come on, you must go to much cooler parties now."

"Sure," Angelica shrugs, "But it's different. High School parties are safe; you know where you are, what to do…where everyone stands in the hierarchy below you. The parties I go to now are just different, I guess."

Lily bites her lip not knowing what to say but she's saved from having to say anything when the room is filled by the sound of Damien pressing his car horn, loudly. Angelica's eyes light up with thrilled surprise and Lily feels her stomach drop.

"Come on!" Angelica jumps up and grabs her hand pulling her from the room and down the stairs dangerously fast considering her heels. "Don't worry, I'll speak to Betty and Howard, I'm fabulous with parents and even better at sneaking out."

An expression of realisation passes over Lily's face, she hadn't even thought of what her parents would say to a party on the first school night of the semester. They'd let Phil go, no doubt, but she's not so sure about her. Then again she's not entirely sure they'd care either.

"Go, Lily." Angelica instructs pulling open the front door and nodding her head towards the waiting car.

Lily takes a deep breath and steps outside.

…

The party's in full swing when Lily and Damien arrive with his hand around her waist. Music throbs through every room in the house, bodies are pressed together dancing, drinking and occasionally kissing. Lily can see easily that this is going to be one of those parties that people talk about for a long time afterwards.

"Let's get a beer." Damien suggests and pulls her through the crowds to the equally packed kitchen.

Damien nods and says hello to some of his team mates but doesn't stop to talk properly to any of them. Lily smiles a little at that, he's being incredibly sweet. She feels herself shifting out of people's way every second minute and trying to ignore the stares she can feel from both leering guys and envious guys.

Damien notices her awkward dancing with the crowd and makes his way back to her. She inclines her head questioningly and watches his smile grow. His wide hands cover her waist and without warning he lifts her from the ground to set her on the counter top. He disappears for a second and returns with a cold beer.

Lily takes it from him gratefully and has a long drag of the crisp drink.

"Steady," Damien laughs in a half-hearted tone, throwing back his own drink. He stands in front of her and eases his body between her legs. Lily glances around the room, worried about what people might think or say but no one seems to be shocked or surprised by the display.

Licking his lips, Damien leans in and presses his nose beneath her hair and begins to nuzzle her neck. A ripple of excitement runs through her veins. It's nerve-wracking but so exciting at the same time. Suddenly she doesn't care about the party at all; Damien's all that she can see. He squeezes one hand around her waist and rubs the other up and down her right leg, creeping ever higher each time.

They each finish their drinks and then his lips are covering hers and his tongue is sweeping against her teeth, urging around her mouth. She reacts in the only way that she can by kissing him back. She's not sure if she's doing it right or not but Damien doesn't seem to be complaining. Cautiously she moves one of her hands from his shoulder and slips it around his neck, loosing her fingers in his hair. It feels strange she supposes, which worries her but Angelica's always told her that she over thinks things so she imagines that it's meant to be that way.

In all the books that she's read and movies that she's watched, it's never been described this way. None of the girls in those scenarios ever mentioned the sweating feeling that's currently residing under her arms and behind her knees. They never talk about the way that his stubble scratches against her skin or the fact that his hands feel like fire against her thighs. All of those girls seem to know what to do; they melt into embraces, crash into kisses and let their hearts lead them. Lily doesn't even know what her heart wants, she and Damien haven't shared too many conversations, he's just the only guy to ask her out. He's incredibly hot though and popular and one of the best players on the team. He's the kind of guy that she's always seen herself with…in her imagination.

She tries to shut her mind off. It can't be helping her kissing technique at all. Not that Damien seems to have noticed at all. Lily pops her eyes open and is surprised to meet Damien's, smiling back at her. They break apart slowly and he grins widely, "You're so hot, Lily."

Blushing, she doesn't know how to reply so she just smiles back.

"Wanna do shots?" He asks but doesn't wait for her answer. He melts into the crowd and she sits dreamily waiting for him to reappear. Lily drags her teeth along her lower lip and swings her feet happily.

Across the room her eyes briefly catch upon a pair so perfectly like her own. They're narrowed and squinting in her direction. Lily can tell that Phil's mad about something but she's not sure what. It's probably something dumb like their Mom making him empty the dishwasher when it was her turn or something. The only time her and Phil ever talk now is to bicker about something that the other hasn't done. Lily rolls her eyes and collects the shot glass from Damien's waiting hand.

"What is it?" She asks, wrinkling her nose as the foggy looking drink.

Damien smirks, "Don't worry, you'll like it."

Lily feels the heat in her cheeks as he laughs at her hesitation with his eyes. Reluctantly she throws the shot back and winces as it travels down her throat and lingers for a long moment.

Damien leans over, his breath warm on her ear and whispers into her ear, "Let's get loose."

Gently he pulls her from the countertop and steadies her on her heels. Her heart's racing for all the wrong reasons and all her words are stuck in her throat. She doesn't feel ready and she doesn't know what to do. It's a relief when he takes her through to the lounge where the music's loudest and everyone's dancing against their partners.

They move into the throng amongst the familiar faces of their friends and Damien holds her flush against him, one hand covering her ass and they begin to dance. She doesn't mind so much. Her friends are all looking on with jealous eyes and even some of the guys seem a little disappointed to see that she's dancing with someone else. She's a good dancer too which helps her confidence a little…well, it's that or the alcohol. She's not sure which but she feels better than when Damien's hands were creeping up her thigh and he was kissing her with his eyes open.

…

"Dude, are you gonna have a beer or what?" Tyler nudges Phil in the ribs and the pensive football captain snaps his gaze up.

Phil's deep furrowed brow eases a little and he sighs, "Anything stronger? I need to catch up."

He no longer cares about his early morning training session with his Mom, for now he just wants to forget. When Tyler brings out a bottle of whiskey, his smile finally reappears. He pours a large measure and sinks it quickly, enjoying the warm feeling that rushes through his body.

The second glass goes down even smoother and Phil relaxes a little. He can still see Lily and Damien through the double doors to the lounge. She seems happy, smiling up at him and dancing freely in the middle of the room. Phil sighs knowing that he has no right to say or do anything; Lil would kill him for one thing and the guys would call him soft. But that doesn't mean he doesn't want to.

"What's wrong with you?" Tyler frowns, "Is it Chance?"

Phil reels his gaze around, "Why? Should I be worried about him?"

Tyler shrugs, unhelpfully, "I know you and Lily aren't close but I get that she's still your sister. My sister's a sophomore and she's over there chatting to that smarmy junior who just joined us at varsity…but Lily's older I guess, right? I don't know about Chance, he's just like us, I guess. Nothing to _worry_ about."

Phil doesn't take Tyler's advice on with much enthusiasm, instead he pours another drink. His eyes move over the room and he sees Megan stumbling around by the door. Regretfully he realises that it's probably his fault that she's such a mess at 9:30pm.

Excusing himself from Tyler, Phil moves towards Megan and wraps a supportive arm around her waist pulling her upright. Her eyes struggle to focus on his face but when they do she smiles.

"Phil!" She clutches at him desperately, "Hey, I thought…but…you do like me, don't you?"

Her big green eyes are staring up at him hopefully and she looks about a moment away from passing out so Phil rolls his shoulders, "Of course I do. Sorry about earlier, I've just got stuff on my mind."

Megan nods, her eyes wide, "I totally get that. You're a sweet guy really, you know?"

Phil doesn't know quite what she means by that but he just smiles. In his hold he feels her muscles relax as her legs give way and her eyes flutter closed. Quickly he slips one arm around her shoulders and the other under her knees before lifting her easily. Seeing what's happened, Tyler tilts his head silently telling him to follow up to one of the free bedrooms. The crowd parts and Phil strides through with Megan murmuring under her breath.

Phil keeps his eyes ahead, his brow furrowed. Megan's one of Lily's friends, she's the same age, a cheerleader...they have a lot in common. And Megan just drunk herself into oblivion because Phil treated her a bit rudely. He wonders if Lily would ever do the same.

Reaching the bedroom he carefully lies Megan down on the bed and pulls a blanket over her. Tyler's gaze is just as heavy at the sight of her passed out form.

…

Lily licks her lips, the taste of the foggy shot is slowly growing on her, or she's getting so drunk that she can't taste it properly any more. Damien's intense dark eyes are settled on hers, smiling merrily. She feels better now, looser and freer. Damien's smile is making her heart beat against her chest and her breath catch in her throat.

"You want to go somewhere we can talk?" He asks, his lips brushing and nipping at her earlobe.

Carefully she nods her head. He's been so kind to her all night, only leaving her side to refill her glass. She hadn't expected that. Usually the guys hoard the beer keg and play stupid games or hit on different girls all night long. Damien's different. And he likes her.

Quickly Damien takes her by the hand and leads her upstairs. At the end of the hall he finds an empty bedroom and they slip inside. Lily supposes that it's a guest room as there don't seem to be any personal items around but the bed's made up with a nice cream quilt.

"Sit down," Damien offers as he lies horizontally across the bed grinning. His polo shirt rides up a little and Lily can see his impressive abdominal muscles and a flash of dark hair.

She takes up his offer and perches on the edge of the bed to which he laughs and pulls her down to lie beside him. Instinctively she bends her legs up which causing her skirt to ride up in turn, which she hadn't meant to do.

Damien arches his eyebrows and takes the show of more flesh as an invitation to rest his hand at the top of her thigh, just below the lace hem of her knickers. Lily shivers at his touch and he presses a finger to her lips.

"Shh, it's okay." He assures in a soft voice. "You don't realise how beautiful you are, Lily."

Her eyes flutter down and fall over the pendant she's worn since her thirteenth birthday. It was a present from the 'Rugrats' gang. It's strange really that she still wears it even though she doesn't speak to them any more. It's a simple gold star on a delicate chain and it came with a note to say that they all thought she was a star following her state soccer game where she won the game with a final minute goal. That year she took her team further than Phil took his and her Mom didn't shut up about it for months, Lily kind of liked that though. Her Mom has always been a strong advocate of women's rights and Lily can't remember a time that Betty seemed prouder of her. Her heart sinks at what her Mom would say to her now.

Betty DeVille sat both of her kids down at the age of eight and told them all about the birds and the bees. In her own way, she was soft and gentle with her explanation. With it too though she was fiercely adamant that Lil should wait until she was in a good relationship with a boy she loved before doing anything. She'd also told Phil in her strictest voice that women were to never be objectified and he should treat them with the same kind of respect he would expect his father to use or a for a boy to use with Lil. At the time Lily's sure both of them took Betty's words to heart and decided they would do nothing but honour them.

But then peer pressure happened and turned everything upside down.

Lily bites down on her lip and trembles as Damien leers over her, his weight bearing down on her. Her wrists are in his hold above her head and he's kneeling painfully on her thighs, gradually splaying them open.

"Damien, wait," She struggles in a small voice.

He grunts a little and lays down on top of her leaving her feeling completely immobile. "Shh Lily, or I'll tell everyone you're a virgin."

"I'm not." She answers in a whisper, her cheeks flaming.

"Soon you won't be." He smirks, she can tell; she feels his lips curve against her collar bone.

In a quick movement he covers her mouth with his hand and tugs her dress down with a ripping sound so that it's gathered at her waist and her bra's exposed. Tears leak from her eyes and she protests both vocally and physically by trying to kick against him but he's too strong.

Damien grunts again, groping at her chest painfully and then moving his hand down under her dress and into her knickers. He then laughs cool and harshly, "Don't tell me you don't like this, Lily. I _know _you do."

She sets her jaw and lifts her knee aiming for his area. Years of wrestling with Phil have put her in good stead for this moment. She aims with as much force as she can and fires but Damien notices out of the corner of his eye. He beats her back down with his arm and sneers.

Lily gasps as he takes her wrist in his hand and forces it into an odd angle. There's a sharp snapping sound and a cry of pain from Lily. Her eyes fill with tears and she feels her fight leave her body.

"I didn't mean to do that, you know that." Damien says in a strangely calm tone, "Let me make it better to you."

She turns her head away and closes her eyes, she bites down hard on her lip as a lone tear leaks free of her lashes.

...

_I know it was all Phil and Lil in this chapter but it was an important chapter. The rest of the gang will be in the next._


	6. Chapter 6

For Finsterboy97 for having the patience of a saint! Thank you for your ongoing interest :)

...

Lily leans over the edge of the bed and tries to swallow down the acidic tasting bile rising in the back of her throat. Her body feels numb and awkward, not to mention sore. Her wrist is in another league of pain and she's sure that it's broken.

The worst feeling of all though, over the sickness and pain is the fact that she feels slightly sensationalised. She's ashamed and disgusted with herself.

Damien's slowly dressing on the other side of the room, but she can still feel him all over her skin. She can still taste him on her tongue and feel him inside of her. He turns his head over his shoulder and sets his eyes on her and she feels the bile rising once again.

He makes a sudden movement and she starts, her breath freezing in her throat. She watches out of the corner of her eye as he rounds the bed. He reaches his hand out and strokes a strand of hair out of her face. She doesn't blink.

"Lily," He crouches at her side and looks her in the eye, "I know you're not going to tell anyone about this,"

On the bed, Lily grits her teeth, "Try me. I will tell everyone about this!"

"No." Damien shakes his head, "No, you won't. I'll make sure that you don't do that."

Her eyes widen, "…What?"

"If you tell anyone about this, I will hurt Phil and make it look like an accident. He'll never play again. He'll lose his ride to college. He'll lose everything, Lily." Damien sneers, his breath harsh against her face. "Get dressed, I'll take you home."

Lily's speechless. Only a few hours ago she'd thought that he was the hottest boy in school and a genuinely nice guy. She feels so stupid now, so drawn in and blind. It's all her fault, for wanting so badly to be like the other girls who'd gone to those places with their boyfriends. But she should have known that she's not like those girls. She's never been anyone's girlfriend. No one's ever wanted to be with her, only to stare at her chest. That's her trouble; she can be such a guy when she wants, the make-up and short skirts are just a uniform. Guys see that kind of thing though; in the way she holds herself, the things she says and the way that she's more independent than most. She's not the kind of girl to have a boyfriend; she's the kind of girl that things like this happen to.

"I'd like to walk." Lily says in the strongest voice she can muster. She wants to run in fact, as fast as she can, away from him.

Damien's face twists into a smirk, "Now what would your parents say if I let you walk home on your own?"

"It's fine. I do it all the time." Lily swallows and sits up, pulling the quilt up to her chin as she does so. "And…I, I won't say anything."

Damien nods, "That's my girl. And I am sorry, Lily, that it had to happen like this. But you made out that you wanted this! You led me here. Next time will be better, okay? First time's always the worst."

Lily bites on her lip which is sore from her biting through it earlier. He's right, she thinks. She wore the short dress, she made the eyes at him, and she followed him upstairs. He was drunk too which must have clouded his judgement or something.

"How's your wrist?" He asks in a kinder sounding voice.

She shrugs, "I've had worse, playing soccer."

He smirks at that, "Of course. You're tough, DeVille, that's what I like about you. I really, really like you, you know that don't you?"

"Um," She frowns, her mind is so messed up with about a thousand thoughts streaming through her mind. "Sure, yeah."

She closes her eyes, thinking of what her Mom would say. She can hear the disappointment laced in her voice already, even though she hasn't told her….even though she's never going to tell her.

"That's my girl." Damien says again. "Tidy yourself up a bit, yeah? Then we'll go."

He kisses her forehead and leaves the room, clicking the door shut behind him. Lily drops her head to her knees and sobs.

…

Kimi sits crossed legged on her bed, sketch pad in her lap and pencil in hand. She narrows her eyes at her drawing and chews on the end of her pencil.

She reaches for her school bag and pulls free the photograph she'd recovered from Lil earlier that day. She purses her lips and glides her eyes over each of the smiling faces. They'd all been so close, so inseparable.

It's far from the image that she's just drawn. That sketch depicts herself as a vampire, Tommy roaring away on his motorbike and Chuckie with his headphones blocking out the world on one side of the page and a perfect cheerleader and football player smiling for their glorious public on the other.

Sighing she sets both the photograph and the drawing down and slips from the bed. She crosses the room to her computer and clicks to see if anyone's commented on the latest piece of artwork she's uploaded. They haven't.

Biting down on her lower lip she sinks down onto the seat and skims back through her previously uploaded pictures. There's a smattering of comments but none of them feel much like applause. Drawing's her release, it's a place she goes to spill her emotions and she thought, maybe hoped, that it's something she's good at too. Now she's not so sure.

Her finger lingers over the mouse, debating whether she wants to share her work anymore. If she's not going to make an impact…if she's not going to be great at it or recognised or appreciated, then maybe she doesn't want it anymore.

A moment later she deletes her profile and her history of work is erased. It doesn't make her feel any better though.

She strolls though to the bathroom and stares at her reflection in the mirror. She's all porcelain skin and a mess of black hair. Vampire-like. If only she was a vampire, it would make things a whole lot easier. She could feast on cheerleaders and never have to see her own reflection. Kimi smiles a little at the thought and makes a note to tell Dil about the vision, she thinks he'd get a kick out of it.

…

They walk downstairs together, hand in hand and Lily's shocked to see that the party's still in full swing. It feels like the whole world stopped turning upstairs, she can't believe that downstairs it continued to spin as though nothing had happened.

"Come on," Damien guides her between the bodies on the stairs.

A few people glance her way and smile knowingly. They think that she and Damien just had a usual high school hook up; the head cheerleader and hot football player, it's so perfect it's sickening. Her fellow cheerleaders are looking at her like she's the luckiest girl in school and the guys are looking at Damien like he's some kind of God.

Redundantly Lily searches the crowd for Phil's face. It's silly really because they don't even talk anymore but she feels like seeing him will make her feel a little better somehow. Perhaps she'll be able to bribe him into taking her home instead of getting a ride with Damien somehow. She doesn't know. She can't see Phil anyway.

She shivers under Damien's letterman jacket and hugs her wrist close to her body. The crowd parts and together they walk through; him grinning at their classmates and her staring to the ground.

They step out into the crisp night and the sounds of the party are overtaken by silence. Damien gets the door for her and she slips onto the cool leather seat. She stares out of the window and pretends to listen to his garbled chatter about football. She's thankful for the first time tonight that he's such a self-centred asshole because it means they don't have to talk about them or what just happened.

Her house isn't too far away but it feels like it takes an eternity to get there. The streets are quiet, even though it's not too late and the roads stretch on forever.

"Tell your 'rents you tripped, in those dumb shoes." Damien suggests when they finally pull up outside her house.

"What?" Her brow furrows, "Oh, right yeah."

Damien leans over the consol and takes her head in his hands. His mouth presses hard against hers, his kiss goodbye is harsh and he tastes like all of Lily's worst memories captured. For extra measure he gives her wrist a squeeze causing her to yelp with pain. She knows it's a warning; a reminder of what he could do if she tells anyone.

Finally he lets her go and she does her best not to run from the car. When she's at the front door she hears him hit the gas and speed away and around the block. Her keys fall from her hand and she slips down the door into a heap.

…

Tommy leans forward on his bike and relishes in the feeling of the cool night breeze on his face. It's getting late but he doesn't feel like going home yet, he feels more at home on his bike anyway.

The streets are quiet but he likes it that way, it gives him time to think. He thinks best when he's going at speed for some reason. His mind is most open when it feels like he could be going somewhere, escaping and finding an adventure somewhere.

He can't wait for the day that schools out and he can leave this town behind. He wants to see the world, to try new things and experience life. He doesn't want to be like his Dad who's spent most of his life in the basement creating or like his Mom who's lived her life by the words of someone's book. He wants more than that.

Tommy turns right on Maple Drive and hears the faint hum of music filter under his helmet. He frowns at hearing the sound so late at night before remembering that there's a high school party happening somewhere in town tonight. Through morbid fascination or something, he follows the noise.

It's pretty loud when he pulls up outside the house next door. The shades are open and he can see a throng of people dancing in the front room. There are a couple of people scattered around the lawn smoking or stumbling around in a drunken haze.

Tommy squints at the house and tells himself that he's not looking for Lil, but of course he is. He's never been a part of this world, he's always been on the outside…the outside of popularity and her world. He doesn't want to be on the inside, not of the popular crowd at least, but he'd like to know a little more about her life and why she chooses to spend her time amongst these people and their strange ways.

He doesn't see Lil but he does see Phil. He's sat on a couch staring into his drink looking miserable which surprises Tommy, usually Phil DeVille is a partier, from what he's heard. Around Phil the party is spinning in a continuous drone of noise and gliding hands. The thought of it makes Tommy's stomach turn a little. He's never much liked the feeling of no control and somehow he thinks that's what popularity must feel like. He sees the cheerleaders and the football players and the look in their eyes that resides behind the confident smirks and the jeers. He sees the fear. That's the trouble with being at the 'top', you never know when you'll fall or when someone might discover the real you. That's the thing about popular kids; they're all fake. Tommy couldn't cope with that at all.

With a shake of his head he gives the bike some throttle and speeds away.

…

Lily rests her head on the wood of the front door and closes her eyes, listening to the sounds of the news programme her parents are watching in the front room. It's such a normal activity. She supposes that's because their lives still are normal. Her's isn't. And she's sure it won't ever be normal again.

As the night deepens and the cold wraps around her, Lily realises that she has to move. Phil will come home at some point and she can't bear the thought of him finding her in such a state. Worse than that, she cannot let her parents know that anything might be wrong.

With that in mind, she slips her heels from her feet and begins to walk away from her house. She considers calling Angelica because she was so nice to her earlier, but she can't think of how she'd begin to explain it to her. She worries that she'll look frigid if she tells anyone what happened in that bedroom. Girls and boys sleep together all the time, it's not that big of a deal so she doesn't know why she reacted as she did.

So she doesn't call Angelica, instead she begins to run. She likes running, it clears her mind, it makes her feel free and a thousand miles from home.

…

Tommy rides his bike through the old neighbourhoods of his childhood. He knows, in the back of his mind why he's headed down this particular street. It's somewhere he used to come all the time as a kid, so much so that it was like a second home.

Now though the DeVille place is just a distant memory. The house is dark and quiet but looks exactly as it always did.

Tommy sighs and pushes away from the house, back into the night. He realises that it's probably about the time of his curfew, if not later so he should be heading back. He'd prefer of course to spend the whole night out with only the moon and stars to guide him but that's not a part of his parents' agreement. The deal was that if Tommy got a bike, his school work wouldn't suffer, so that means having a good night's sleep and getting up on time in the morning.

He swings right down a quiet residential street in the general direction of home and notices a figure looming in the distance. It's odd because usually Tommy doesn't see anyone on his late night rides. The person's running in quite a determined manner but not quick enough to outrun his bike.

Tommy closes on the figure and realises with surprise that it's a girl running. The hairs on the back of his neck begin to lift and he feels the cold chill of the night make it's presence known.

He creeps forward and notes the bare feet of the girl, the length of her short dress and the veil of brown hair down her back. Tommy gulps when a realisation hits him. Cautiously he sidles up beside the runner and chances a look, his eyes falling over the tear stained face of Lillian DeVille.

Her eyes pop when she sees that there's a bike beside her and Tommy can read her fear. Quickly he reaches for his helmet and pulls the visor up. "It's me, Lil."

"Tommy?"

...


End file.
